According to the ITA, the petitioner, International Imaging Materials, Inc. (IIMAK), alleged that respondents in the three concurrent investigations of TTR (France, Japan, and South Korea) would attempt to circumvent the order by slitting jumbo rolls in third countries. Therefore, the ITA states that IIMAK requested that slitting does not change the country of origin of TTR for AD duty purposes.

(a) Chandan and Isibars have an AD rate of zero; no cash deposits will be required although suspension of liquidation will continue

DVD backup-software developer 321 Studios said it would appeal the injunction against the sale of its programs handed down last week by a federal judge in N.Y. The ruling, by U.S. Dist. Judge Richard Owen was the 2nd such injunction against 321’s DVD X Copy family of copying software in less than 2 weeks. Earlier, the U.S. Dist. Court, San Francisco, had banned the sale of 321’s products. Like the San Francisco court, Judge Owens agreed with the Hollywood studio plaintiffs that 321’s software violated the Digital Millenium Copyright Act’s provisions against circumventing the content owner’s copy protection. “321 Studios disagrees with both the California and the New York judgments, and will appeal, continuing to fight back against this fair use paradox that has effectively stripped away Americans’ rights in the digital future,” said Robert Moore, 321 founder-pres. “321 is in full compliance with Judge Richard Owen’s preliminary injunction. 321 Studios has already complied fully with an injunction against distributing a DVD circumvention device handed down in California on February 20, and is now distributing and selling ‘ripper-free.’ or ‘RF’ versions of DVD X Copy software through the company’s website and nationwide retail channels.” 321 said the Cal. judgment “clearly acknowledges that there are legal backup uses that can be made of DVDs under fair use” -- but Judge Owens didn’t buy part of the company’s argument. 321 contended the programs were not primarily designed to circumvent DVD’s Content Scrambling System (CSS) encryption, but had diverse, noninfringing uses such as repairing damaging discs by making a new, restored copy. But the court said those “arguably limited alternative uses” didn’t outweigh illegal uses of CSS circumvention. Besides enjoining the sale of 321’s products, the N.Y. court also barred the company from transferring its U.S.- based assets overseas. At our deadline, it wasn’t clear whether the purpose of that ruling was to secure funds for potential damages assessed against 321, or to prevent the company from operating outside the jurisdiction of the DMCA and selling its enjoined products from overseas into the U.S. Separately, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office put rights holders on notice that her office would continue creating exceptions, as necessary, to the DMCA’s circumvention ban. “If material is locked up and there is no way to get at it, there will be an exemption for the next 3 years,” as provided in the statute, Register of Copyrights Marybeth Peters told a State Bar of Cal. copyright event in San Francisco last week. The responsibility for re-examining exceptions every 3 years originally looked burdensome, but it has turned out to be “a fairly good way to take a look at what is going on in the market,” she said.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated an antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of polychloroprene rubber from Japan to determine whether Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) is the successor-in-interest to Showa DDE Manufacturing K.K. (SDEM) and DDE Japan Kabushiki Kaisha (DDE Japan) (collectively SDEM/DDE Japan) for purposes of AD duty liability.

(a) For previously reviewed or investigated companies not listed above, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recent period.

CTIA’s board gave a $13-million shot in the arm last year to the group’s Wireless Foundation, which the non-profit in turn has largely reinvested in a real estate transaction for the group’s new Washington hq. The Foundation’s decision to take a stake in the land deal was made “to create a predictable return on the endowment” created by the gift to the foundation, a CTIA spokesman said. “The CTIA board’s decision to fund the Foundation and the Foundation’s decision to purchase the land were 2 separate decisions.”

Take-Two Interactive’s Mafia for PS2 was once again the #1- rented videogame in the U.S., Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Feb. 29 showed Thurs. Rentrak said the title, in its 5th week of availability, earned an additional $341,583, for $1.37 million to date. Take-Two had one other game in the top 10: Manhunt for PS2 at #10 (down one, 15th week, $126,862, for $2.71 million total). Also repeating with 2 top 10 PS2 games was Activision, with True Crime: Streets of L.A. at #5 again (17th week, $200,666, for $4.97 million total) and Tony Hawk’s Underground at #7 (down one, 18th week, $165,249, total of $5.06 million). But Electronic Arts (EA) again dominated rentals and had 5 games in the top 10: James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing for PS2 at #2 (up 2, 2nd week, $325,712; $524,743), NFL Street for PS2 at #3 (down one, 7th week, $261,390; $1.36 million), Need for Speed: Underground for PS2 at #4 (down one, 15th week, $241,371; $5.6 million), an Xbox version of the James Bond game at #6 (up 9, 2nd week, $166,047; $272,668) and Medal of Honor: Rising Sun for PS2 at #8 (down one, 16th week, $148,570; $5.52 million). Rounding out the top 10 was SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs for PS2 from Sony Computer Entertainment at #9 (down one, 17th week, $128,303; $3.81 million).

For the 2nd time in less than 2 weeks, a federal court has barred the sale of DVD copying or “backup” software from developer 321 Studios.

Fox’s Runaway Jury was once again the #1-rented DVD in the U.S., Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Feb. 29 showed Thurs. Rentrak said the title, in its 2nd week, earned $6.44 million on DVD and VHS, for $14.67 million to date. On DVD alone, the title earned $4.99 million, for $11.34 million total. Its first full week available, Columbia TriStar’s The Missing was #2 in combined DVD and VHS rentals, earning $5.98 million, for $6.07 million to date. On DVD alone, the title earned $4.36 million, for $4.43 million total. Also making the top 10 their first full week were Warner’s Matchstick Men at #3 and Disney’s Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over at #8. Rentrak said Matchstick Men earned $5.91 million in the week on DVD and VHS, for $6.05 million to date. On DVD alone, the title earned $4.36 million, for $4.46 million total. Rentrak said Spy earned $3.10 million in the week on DVD and VHS, for $3.17 million to date. On DVD alone, the title earned $2.27 million, for $2.33 million total.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that at the request of Shunde Yongjian Housewares Co., Ltd. (Yongjian), a mandatory respondent in this investigation, it has postponed its final antidumping (AD) duty determination on floor-standing, metal-top ironing tables and certain parts thereof from China until no later than June 13, 2004.